Why must Chinese borrowings be separated from native Hmong-Mien vocabulary?

Separating Chinese borrowings from native vocabulary is essential for determining the genetic classification of the Hmong-Mien languages.

Because Hmong-Mien languages contain a massive number of Chinese loanwords, these borrowings can obscure the true linguistic history of the family. Linguists rely on the analysis of recurrent sound correspondences in basic vocabulary to establish genetic relationships between languages. Without first isolating the native vocabulary from the layers of Chinese influence, it is impossible to accurately assess whether Hmong-Mien shares a common ancestor with other language families, such as Sino-Tibetan.

While some scholars have proposed that Hmong-Mien belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, this view is not widely accepted by linguists outside of China. Many experts argue that the observed similarities in grammar, phonology, and word structure are not evidence of a genetic link, but rather the result of long-term, widespread bilingualism and the significant cultural and political influence of Chinese speakers in the region.1